We are halfway into the year and in the busiest part of the livestock sales season . . . and in the Covid-19 year, which makes people think differently about many things and about the return to basic principles.

So, it might just be a good juncture to ponder the question of what you are doing really posed when you page through the stud catalogue: Which breeding style will be best for your herd and your management style?

In this article Jaco Cilliers, member of our editorial team, discuss basic breeding programs for the improvement of your herd.

Genetics play a deciding role in the profitability of cattle farming. Similar to any other branch of the farm activities efficient management is imperative to ensure that good genetics is also utilised efficiently in the farmer’s herd.

The breeding process does not end when a calf is born. The transfer of genetic characteristics is a process that has to be managed from serving until death. There are various other aspects that have to be considered for an effective breeding program, such as feeding, climate, animal breed and veld type.

There are three types of breeding programs available to the farmer:

Crossbreeding

The aim of every farmer is to make his farming enterprise profitable. Profitability of a husbandry undertaking may be improved by increasing production and lowering input costs. That is why many farmers score with crossbreeding, which allows to benefit from the best characteristics of both breeds.

The advantage of crossbreeding lies in the utilisation of heterosis, or hybrid vigour. The progeny of good cross-breeding grow better and is normally more inured against diseases than purebred lines. Hybrid vigour can be determined by measuring the specific characteristic and to compare it with the same characteristics in the parents. Here recordkeeping plays a major role. When two breeds are crossbred to create better growth in the calf, the weaning mass of the parents can be compared with the weaning mass of the calf.

There are many variables that may have an influence on the weaning mass. To have better control over variables, such as feeding and climate, the farmer may also compare calves with calves. To determine the success of crossbreeding the weaning mass of the crossbred calves can be compared with that of other calves in the same environment and weaned on the same fodder.

Stud breeding

Every farmer who is a member of a stud breeders’ society knows exactly how stud breeding works. Farmers who have interests in the same breed normally organise themselves in a breeding society. The purpose of such a society is to promote the breed, provide training to young breeders, and to provide a high standard of genetic material

The responsibility of purebred breeders is to breed animals which will comply with the requirements of the commercial farmer, and also to keep up with the latest developments in the commercial beef production market. To maintain these standards, use is normally made of inbreeding, linebreeding or outcrossing.

Inbreeding can promote the passing on of positive characteristics, but there may also be many negative inbreeding results. Consequently serious consideration is necessary before thinking of inbreeding. Linebreeding can also promote heredity and has fewer negative results compared with inbreeding. As a result this method is mostly preferred rather than inbreeding.

Outcrossing is used to make new genetics available to the herd. In some breeds, such as the Bonsmara, four lines are bred in South Africa to facilitate outcrossing in the breed. Inbreeding, linebreeding and crossbreeding are not necessarily alternatives but rather three methods that farmers may use as required to ensure strong genetics transfer.

Upgrading

This process implies the use of a purebred bull on a commercial herd. A bull of the same breed is then again used on the new progeny. In this way the influence of the bull’s breed is increased with every new generation calves. In the end the result should be that the complete herd should be of the same breed as the bull. After the fourth generation of upgrading the calves can be regarded as F1 calves, and after the seventh generation the calves are regarded as thoroughbred.

The purpose of upgrading is to breed a thoroughbred herd without huge expenditure, and then again be in the position to apply other breeding methods to produce the best characteristics. The female animal, feed quality, climate, animal health and many other factors play an active role in the success of a breeding program. To discuss all of the foregoing really requires the writing of a manual.

There already is plenty of literature dealing with this subject and the various breed and breeding societies play an active role in training people en the dissemination of information. The best advice would be to approach the applicable breed society for advice on the preferable plan for your herd.

May you and your descendants harvest the fruits of the wise decisions that you will be making this season!